The Lost Alpha

First Taste of the Pack

It was dark by the time I left class. As I approached my Jeep, I found a note stuck to my driver's window.

862-555-8241 - Grant

I rolled my eyes and got in, turning on the vehicle to warm up. I grabbed my cell and typed the number into a new text chat.

What do I need to bring? Three ellipses popped up to indicate he was responding.

Normal clothes, workout clothes, something to go out in, and a semi-formal dress. You never know.

A dress?

You never know.

I stared at my phone and rolled my eyes. Again. This was going to be an interesting weekend.

"Where are you going?" Dad asked the next morning, seeing my overnight bag by the door.

"I've been invited to the pack house for the weekend." I told him. "I should be back Sunday night."

"Okay." He had a strange look on his face for a moment, but it passed quickly. "Have a good time. Be safe."

"Thanks, Dad. Love you." I threw him a wave as I walked out the door. Grant had just pulled up in his Camaro and I didn't want him meeting my dad. That might just be a little too much for Dad at the moment.

I managed to get to the passenger door before Grant could get to it and flashed him a playful smile.

"Beat ya."

"This time. Don't get used to it." Grant teased. "Come on, we're gonna be late for training."

"Training?" I asked, buckling my seat belt.

"Yeah, training. The Alpha wants you to experience what it's like to live with the pack. And first is training." He glanced at me, tapping my knee with the back of his hand. "Don't worry, we'll go easy on you."

"I've studied martial arts since I was three." I rested my head back against the headrest, studying him. He was tall, dark haired like me, but with hazel eyes.

"Okay." Grant laughed, glancing at me again. "Maybe we won't be so easy on you."

We pulled up in front of a huge athletic arena, again made of white stone.

"The locker room is there, and on the other side the arena. I'll meet you out there." I nodded and went where he pointed.

I changed into a pair of black shorts with spandex underneath and a black sports bra, pulling a tight-fitting white tank over it. I tied my running sneakers, shoved my stuff in a locker, and went through to the arena.

There were people spread out across the indoor soccer field. Some were stretching and warming up, others had already started grappling. Grant waved me over to where he stood with a small group.

"Andy, meet some of my friends. Carson," he pointed to a blond-haired guy with green eyes. "And Mia and Mandy. The twins." Both girls had red hair and green eyes, but that was where the similarities ended.

"We are not twins." Mia grumbled at Grant before turning to me. "We've just been friends for a long time, and I hope now we can include you in that." She gave me a warm smile.

"I'd like that." I had never really had a bunch of friends. And not because I didn't want them, but because I never really fit in anywhere. I didn’t really fit in town. It wasn’t easy for me to make friends there.

"All right, Andy." Grant cut back in. "Carson is one of the best in the class. Let's see what you've got."

Carson and I stepped up to opposite edges of a sparring mat and took up our stances. At Grant's indication, we started slowly to warm up, but within a few minutes, we were going all out. As much as we tried, neither could land a good blow on the other. Finally, Carson charged, and it was the opening I was waiting for.

As Carson knocked me from my feet, I tucked my head to the side and kicked my legs up, so that when we landed, I forced us to continue to roll until I had him straddled with my knees pinning his elbows to the ground.

He tried to swing his legs up to wrap around me, but I was too small to reach, and he wasn't flexible enough without being able to move his shoulders. Finally, he tapped out, making the other three laugh and cheer.

I stood up, panting, and offered my hand to pull Carson to his feet.

"She's good." Mandy complimented. "I've never been able to beat Carson."

"She should go against Michael." Carson panted, wiping the sweat with the back of his arm.

"Where is Michael?" Grant asked, looking around.

"He had a meeting with his father." Mia told them. But he will be joining us for our night out."

"Who's Michael?' I asked.

"The future Beta." Mandy told me with a sly grin. "The super-hot future Beta."

"Then I guess I really need to meet this guy," I laughed. "Because most of the guys here I would consider super-hot." I was surprised how easy it was to get along with the girls. This was a new experience for me.

"Oh, Andy, you are in for a treat." Mia linked her arms with mine. "Grant, we'll take things from here. I think we could use some girl bonding time."

"Just be careful." Grant called after us. "It's my head if anything happens to her."

"You worry too much." Mandy called as we disappeared into the girl's locker room.

Soon we were showered and changed. I pulled my gray sweatshirt over my head and shook out my still damp hair.

"You are so cute." Mia groaned. "I bet you could rock a burlap sack without batting an eye."

I was slightly shocked. No one, and I mean no one had ever called me cute or commented on my looks. Not friends or boyfriends, or even my father. And now these girls that I had just met were calling me cute.

"Um, thank you." I chuckled. Mandy spun around and gasped sharply.

"We should go shopping!" She cheered. "We could all get new outfits for tonight!"

"What's going on tonight?" I asked, following them out to the parking lot.

"We're all going out to the club tonight." Mia told me. "We are taking you to the best club on the pack lands."

"To the mall!" Mandy shouted, pointing to the sky, and making us all laugh.

I had never had female friends before. Not close ones. I was never into all that girly stuff. I wasn't into fashion or shopping. But hanging out with Mia and Mandy was actually fun. They had similar tastes as I did, and we were able to pick things out for each other. I had never laughed so much as I did on that outing.

We grabbed sushi for lunch and headed back to the pack house to eat and get ready. A maid showed us up to the room that I would be staying in for the night.

"This room is gigantic." I breathed out, looking around. It wasn't just a bedroom. It was a full-on suite. The bathroom alone was bigger than my bedroom at home.

"It gives us plenty of room to get ready." Mia dropped her bags on the couch. "The boys aren't going to know what hit them."

A couple of hours, and a delivery of dinner to my room later, I stood staring into the mirror. And even I had to admit it - I looked amazing.

I had stuck with my Dublin boots. They were comfortable and good for a night on my feet. Mandy had picked out a dark wash denim mini skirt for me that I would normally have thought was a shade on the side of too short. But the girls assured me that it was the perfect length. Mia had found a white low-cut top with off the shoulder, flowy sleeves, and a corseted torso that pushed my breasts up and made them look bigger than they were.

Mandy had curled my straight dark hair so that it framed my face. And I had applied some light make-up (with Mia's guidance) to accentuate my eyes.

"The boys are gonna love you." Mia whistled.

"Yeah, except Grant is actually my cousin." I said, rolling my eyes. "And Carson isn't really my type."

"Oh, there will be a lot more boys than them there tonight." Mandy nudged me with a smile. "A lot more."

"Speaking of which, we should get going." Mia grabbed her wallet and pulled out her card and ID. "Grant's waiting for us out front."

I grabbed the few essentials I needed and slid them into my phone case, and my phone into my back pocket, and followed the girls out.

"Michael and Carson are meeting us there." Grant told us, opening the back door of the SUV for us. I noticed he eyed me over in a protective way. "Don't you want a jacket? Or pants?"

"No," I smiled. "I'm good." And I slid in behind the girls.